Self aligning golf club

ABSTRACT

A golf club assembly is designed to self align its self when the golfer takes a practice swing before hitting a golf ball to the green. The golf ball trajectory to the hole on the green is more accurate, because of this self alignment screw added to the golf club head and the centerline line of the shaft is attached to the golf head to intersect with the centerline of the golf head. This centerline is developed from the sweet spot to the center of gravity of the club head. The club head is designed so it has the same height as the sweet spot.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

A golf club assembly that will not self align its self when a right on left hand golfer takes a practice swing, before hitting the golf ball to the green. When a centerline of the grip and shaft is off center to the centroid of the club head face (sweet spot), and the club head makes contact with the golf ball, this offset (1.5 to 2.0 inches) produces a torque about the center line of the grip and shaft. This torque is great enough to cause the club head face to rotate about the center line of to grip and shaft, causing the golf ball trajectory to be right or left of its target. The same is true when a right or left hand golfer produces a divot. When the centroid of the divot is off center to the center line of the grip and shaft, it also produces a torque about the center line of the grip and shaft. The summation of both torques are great enough to cause the club head face to rotate about the center line of the grip and shaft, which causes the golf ball trajectory to be right or left of its target, depending on a right or left hand golfer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In view of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a golfer a means to make an adjustment to a golf club assembly so as to align it for a more accurate golf ball trajectory to a target, as on the fairway or a hole of a green on a golf course or driving range.

In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention of a golf club assembly consisting of a golf shaft assembly and golf head assembly. The golf shaft assembly has a grip and shaft. The club head assembly consists of a club head and alignment screw. The center line of the grip and the lower end of a straight golf shaft is attached to the club head so that it will intersect with the center line of the club head. The center line of the club head is established by constructing a line from the centroid of the face of the head (sweet spot) to the center of gravity and perpendicular to a horizontal line on the face of the head. The club head is designed so the center of gravity is at the same height as the sweet spot. The alignment screw is attached to the head so that its vertical center line will intersect with the center line of the head and is in a vertical position behind the face of the club head. The alignment screw extends below the club head and it's adjustable in a vertical direction so that it contacts the ground before the club head contacts the golf ball. When the golfer hits the golf ball with his club, the moment of inertia is acting through the center of gravity and contacting the golf ball at the sweet spot has no torque acting on the center line of the grip and shaft. When this same moment of inertia acts through the center of gravity and contacting the golf ball to the left or right of the sweet spot, the alignment screw will resist the torque that would rotate the face of the club head about the center line of grip and shaft. The same will happen if the golfers swing produces a divot. When the moment of inertia is acting through the center of gravity and contacts the ground and the centroid of this mass is off center to the left or right or the sweet spot the alignment screw will resist the torque that would rotate the face of the club head about the center line of the shaft. The summation of both torques are resisted by the aligning screw, because it has a component force acting on the alignment screw from the ground, which has a caster geometry affect. This condition will resist any rotation of the club head in any direction about the center line of the grip and shaft, which will give a accurate golf ball trajectory to the target or hole in the green.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

The advantage of the self aligning golf club assembly means the golf boll has a more accurate trajectory to a target or hole in the green. The following is a detail discussion and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a golfer using a self aligning golf club assembly.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a golf club assembly of the present invention with shaft broken away.

FIG. 3 is a front view of this invention with part of the shaft broken away.

FIG. 4 is a side view of this invention with part of the shaft broken away.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings where in the presently preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated. FIG. 1 discloses a self aligning golf club assembly 10 being used by a golfer in a practice swing mode. FIG. 2, 3, 4 contains a golf club head 12, shaft 11 and an alignment screw 13. The center line 16 of the head 12 is a line 16 drawn from the centroid 14 (sweet spot) to the center of gravity 15 and it's perpendicular to a horizontal line 21 on the face 18 of the head 12, its angle 23 is 90 degrees + or − 1. The club head 12 is designed so that the center of gravity 15 has the same height as the sweet spot 14 that is within 0.25 inch, which is measured from the bottom surface 26 of the head 12. The shaft 11 is attached to the head 12 and the center line 19 of the shaft 11 intersects with the center line 16 of the head 12 within 0.25 inch. The lie angle 24 is 40 to 70 degrees and the loft angle 25 is 05 to 60 degrees, the centerline of the shaft 11 to line 21 has a angle 20 of 90 degrees + or − 10 degrees. When the face 18 of the head 12 is an arc, the center line 21 is a chord constructed so it's bicepted by center line 16 of the head 12 and its angle 23 is 90 degrees, + or − 1 degree to each other. The golf club head 12 shown is for a right hand golf club assembly and a left hand golf club assembly is symmetrically opposite. the alignment screw 13 is attached to the head 12 by means of a threaded hole having the same size thread as the screw 13, which is adjustable for maximum function. The center line 17 of the screw 13 is located behind the face 18 of head 12 and it intersects the center line 16 of the head 12. The alignment screw 13 is adjustable in a vertical direction for its best performance.

OPERATION

A golfer using a self aligning golf club assembly 10 uses a practice swing to align the golf club assembly 10. Before the golfer takes an alignment practice swing (a swing before hitting the ball). He must move his club head on the ground in and out until the bottom of the club head is contacting the ground and the alignment screw has produced a groove in the ground. Next, he should regrip the golf club, so as to secure the loft and lie of the golf club. He can now make a complete swing that produces a fore and aft groove that crosses the first groove in the ground. The two grooves should be perpendicular to each other. If not, the golfer should correct his swing. His next swing should be hitting the ball to the hole in the green with more accuracy. When the club head contacts the golf ball, a component force acting on the aligning screw caused by the contact to the ground during the golf club swing will align the face of the golf club head to be perpendicular to the path of the head. A vertical adjustment of the alignment screw is for different ground conditions. When the ground is hard, the screw is adjusted to get less torque resistance. When the ground is soft, the screw is adjusted to get more torque resistance. His next swing will drive the golf ball to its target (fairway or green) more accurately. 

1. A golf club shaft assembly attached to the golf club head so that the center line of the grip and shaft intersects the center line of the head for its geometric location. The centerline of the head being a line drawn from the sweet spot of the face of the head to the center of gravity of the head.
 2. A golf club head having an alignment screw so that the center line of the screw intersects the center line of the club head and has a vertical adjustment for its geometric location. The centerline of the head being a line drawn from the sweet spot of the face of the head to the center of gravity of the head
 3. The intersection of the grip and shaft centerline to the center line of club head and including a alignment device located at the rear of the club head which produces a caster geometry, which will produce a self alignment direction for the golf club assembly at the time of the golfers swing. This will produce a trajectory of the golf ball to be more accurate to its target. 